1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates material handling carts and more particularly to a new material handling cart adapted for use on and off of flat surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Material handling carts are well known in the prior art. Hardware and large home-improvement department stores often supply carts for use by their customers for carrying construction or home-improvement supplies, such as lumber. These carts generally consist of a pair of upright side rails supported on a horizontal deck, which in turn is carried by a plurality of wheels or casters.
While these known carts provide a means for transporting supplies, the known carts have several drawbacks. The known carts are provided with small diameter wheels or casters that, while providing relatively easy movement over hard, flat surfaces such as concrete floors and asphalt parking lots, are difficult or impossible to use in “off-road” conditions such as at construction sites or through loose gravel. The known carts are also equipped with stationary handles, which become difficult to reach when trying to move large and/or long materials and make maneuvering of the cart difficult around corners, such as at fence gates and doorways.
The known carts are also limited in the variety of materials that may be handled at one time. If a product to be moved is odd-shaped, then it becomes difficult to stack additional supplies on the cart for simultaneous transport. Thus, the customer or handler must make multiple trips to securely transport the different materials.
In these respects, there is a need for a material handling cart that is well adapted for travel over uneven ground and irregular surfaces, such as grass, dirt and gravel; which includes easily reachable handles; and further including a means for safely carrying multiple, different-shaped materials.